Arthur C Clarke: the Science and the Fiction

Wed 5th Oct 2005, 11:00 on BBC Radio 4 FM

October 1945: The magazine Wireless World published an article by a relatively unknown writer and rocket enthusiast. Its title was: "Extra-Terrestrial Relays: Can Rocket Stations Give World Wide Radio Coverage?" Today, the author's name is known throughout the world. He is the science fiction writer Arthur C Clarke, and his prediction of satellite communications has come true in ways even he never imagined. 

Heather Couper traveled to Sir Arthur's home in Sri Lanka to hear his own story, and meets with family, fans and fiction writers he has influenced. His younger brother Fred remembers their childhood on a Somerset farm: Arthur was building telescopes and launching home-made rockets. Did the other children join in their brother's activities? "No!", recalls Fred with a shudder. "We kept away from the dangerous blighter..." 

Producer Martin Redfern

Sir Arthur Charles Clarke, 1917 - 2008, was an English science-fiction writer, science writer, futurist, inventor, undersea explorer, and television series host. He co-wrote the screenplay for the 1968 film 2001: A Space Odyssey, one of the most influential films of all time.

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